App no longer available on Google Play

[etskinner]

App is no longer available on the Google Play Store. The link to it from the README shows a "Not Found" page.

Is there a known reason for this?

[afiaka87]

I was able to find it here https://apkpure.com/hacker-news-yc/com.premii.hn
Note that I have no idea if this is a reputable site. For all I know they could be sneaking malware into these APKs. Having said that, I'm using it on Android 10 currently on a Pixel 4. For some reason the app doesn't fill the whole screen. Aside from that it works fine.

It appears this project is no longer maintained. I am assuming the Android app was built with Android API's that were deprecated afterward and hence you won't be able to find it in the Play Store on versions of Android which are newer and therefore incompatible.

I was going to try building it myself, but I don't think the actual Android wrapping code is in the repository. It seems the repository only contains the code for the web version which is stripped of the login feature.

This is probably my favorite interface for using HN on mobile. If anyone has recommendations for a decent alternative that is still maintained please let me know.

[guiambros]

Likewise. Sadly this repo hasn't been updated for a while, so it's unlikely this app will ever work again.

I've since migrated to Hews HN, which is a decent replacement. I still preferred premii/hn, but Hews was close enough for my taste.

[Jon-Murray]

Heya,

So i agree with the comments here. I've been a long time HN/premii app user. I was changing phones and could no longer find it on the playstore (which led me here). Luckily I was able to salvage the official apk from my old phone. I was going to upload it here but instead figured i'd check the hash first as github doesn't support uploading apk files directly (why it is renamed as a .zip in the screenshot). I can confirm that the SHA256 from apkpure matches what i have, which is definitely from the app store. I hope this alleviates some stress/doubt from some people as i, like those above, don't vouch for the reputability of apkpure et al.

Cheers

[fallaciousreasoning]

Note: You can install it on Android if you use one of the more recent versions of Chrome.

1. Navigate to https://hn.premii.com/
2. Select "Add to Homescreen" from the Chrome menu.

Because it's a PWA, Chrome will mint a new APK for it, and automatically install it.

It'll show up in your apps list and, and Android will treat it the same as an app installed from the store.

[guiambros]

It'll show up in your apps list and, and Android will treat it the same as an app installed from the store.

Unfortunately the PWA does not let you log in, which makes it just a read-only viewer.

[liquiddandruff]

Heya,

So i agree with the comments here. I've been a long time HN/premii app user. I was changing phones and could no longer find it on the playstore (which led me here). Luckily I was able to salvage the official apk from my old phone. I was going to upload it here but instead figured i'd check the hash first as github doesn't support uploading apk files directly (why it is renamed as a .zip in the screenshot). I can confirm that the SHA256 from apkpure matches what i have, which is definitely from the app store. I hope this alleviates some stress/doubt from some people as i, like those above, don't vouch for the reputability of apkpure et al.

Cheers

I was setting up a new phone as well lately, thanks for the hash.

The link is here: https://m.apkpure.com/hacker-news-yc/com.premii.hn